Wreckage
by Eyeliner-Vampire
Summary: Gene and Noll only did what normal twins would have done. How could they have known it would end like this? The twins switch places in secret, leading to Noll's death in Japan and Gene still being mistaken for his brother. Three-shot piece with alternative ending. Complete.
1. 一

**Wreckage**

Nobody heard his heart break.

His knees hit the ground hard beside that grimy silver sheet, sinking into the silt. That well-worn façade he'd so carefully constructed clung to his face even as his heart stuttered in a mute sob.

Tears pinched the corners of his eyes but he blinked them away. Now was not the time to lose it.

He took a breath.

A hand - his he realized - reached out to peel back the rotted edge of the sheet. The divers shouted for him to stop but it was too late as the material slipped between his fingers.

If he'd never seen a dead body before, he might have recoiled like the divers' did, the smell turning their stomachs, but he _had_ seen them before. Just none that he could call family.

Disheveled locks of black hair peeked back at him; hair that very well could have been his if circumstances had been reversed. He choked back a sob and let gravity work as he released the sheet. It settled back over the sight with a sickening wet smack.

There was no doubt in his mind now; he'd finally found him.

His brother; his twin.

His other half.

"_Noll..._" his name fell thick on his lips.

A frustrated cry bubbled in his throat as he pushed himself back to his feet, nodding at the divers'. They watched him for a long moment, hands over their noses, considering him. He could only imagine what it was they saw:

A clearly distraught teenager, dressed in all black and sporting a stoic, unimpressed expression as he confirmed the identity of his twin's body. If it were up to Gene, he would have never left that sodden patch of silt and grass. He would have bent over his brother's body and happily cried himself into oblivion.

But he couldn't do that.

Instead, he turned away from that vile, lumpy, make-shift casket and faced the growing crowd - because it was what _Oliver_ would do.

When would they figure it out?

In the past, Gene had switched places with Noll countless times. Sometimes just for a few minutes (to fool the school principal and avoid detention) and sometimes for days (just to make things interesting). But in the end he had always looked forward to being himself again.

Was that still true?

He clenched his jaw, shaking the question from his mind.

It didn't matter how he felt. If he was destined to be mistaken for his younger brother for the rest of his life, so be it. Though, for a fleeting moment Gene wondered if he'd ever be completely one twin or if he would always be this strange in-between; never really one twin but not completely the other, eithther.

He ran a deft hand through his hair. It didn't matter, not really. As he moved away he offered one last glance over his shoulder and seethed.

That stupid, idiot scientist.

Luella was closest, beckoning him with her red rimmed violet eyes.

He stepped closer to allow her thin arms to wrap themselves around him. "Oh, Noll..." she hiccuped into his shoulder. Martin threw an arm around his neck and pulled the two closer. Gene reveled in the warmth, breathing in their presence. If he were himself, he would have tried to stop Luella's tears and maybe even shed some of his own. But he was Noll, and Noll was emotionally placid. So he stayed still, arms by his sides, and waited to be released.

His team stood a little ways behind the Davises. They huddled close together with matching grim expressions as news of what happened spread. Gene avoided their eyes.

"Noll?"

He moved swiftly away from his adoptive parents, but not before placing a soft kiss on his mother's cheek. "Lin-"

"Wait!" Luella snatched his hand and cradled it in both of hers. She was trembling, fresh tears making their way down her face.

Gene turned sharply, mentally kicking himself. The kiss. Damn it. That was his thing not Noll's. He swallowed to keep the uncertainty out of his voice. "What? What's wrong?"

She pulled his arms down, forcing him to stoop over until he was eye to eye with her. It was something she used to do when the twins were younger and she'd suspected them of lying. Before they hit their growth spurts she had kneeled down only to do the same thing. It was a proven fact to Gene and Noll that the closer to Luella they were, the harder it was to lie. "Are you..." she squinted, searching his face.

Gene forced himself to look her steady in the eyes and not smile. If the kiss had given him away then he wouldn't stop her from figuring it out, but he wouldn't make it easier either. "Luella?" he asked when she was silent for a while.

"It's..." she started again but shook her head. She dropped his hands and allowed him to stand upright again. "It's nothing."

"Lin," he called. His Chinese assistant had made his way over to the divers giving them instructions on how to handle the body. He paused and nodded his acknowledgment. "Let's go home."

Unfortunately, 'home' for Gene at the moment was a fancy hotel room back in Tokyo.

Luella and Martin were scheduled for a late afternoon flight back to England the following day but Lin and himself had worked to convince them that they would need another few days to property close the office.

Rather unfortunately, after having hearing the news, Mai and Yasu had made plans to throw him a farewell dinner. Gene was pleasantly surprised. Noll was thoroughly annoyed but planned to go along with it anyway.

Tomorrow he would see his parents off and then join the others for the dinner.

Tonight however, was a different story. Gene laid face down on the hard hotel mattress, head buried into the comparatively too-soft pillow. The moment he'd closed the door and sank into the first moment of privacy in weeks he'd expected to dissolve. To wither away like he'd been trying to since his brothers death. Instead he felt... Hot.

Gene pushed himself up and off the bed, tugging at the collar of his shirt. It was like some one had lit a fire beneath him, the flame dancing up over his legs and swallowing his chest.

Sweat dripped down into his eyes. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and grabbed the hotel room key off the bedside table where he'd left it.

He just needed some air, he told himself as he crept past Lin's room. But despite having a perfectly good excuse, Gene still held his breath until he reached the elevator at the end of the hall.

He mashed the button until it dinged and the doors slid open.

"Oh, um... Hi."

* * *

><p>This is a three-shot installment in honor of the twins' birthday. This story has nothing to do with my other ongoing fic Beyond Measure.<p>

More to come soon!

ELV


	2. 二

**Wreckage**

Part 二

"Oh, um... Hi."

The woman inside held onto a small plastic cleaning cart and looked at him in tired surprise. "_Ohayo_," she bowed respectfully.

Gene managed a smile, letting the old woman roll past him before slipping inside the box himself. She didn't look back at him as the doors slid close and the _ding_ of the elevator filled the silence.

The ride to the lobby wasn't long but it felt like a lifetime to Gene, trapped in the heat of the small space. It felt like a furnace.

When the doors _ding_ed again and slid open, he practically sprinted through the lobby and out into the crisp early morning. Stretching his hands to the sky, he breathed in a deep, calming breath and shivered. The sweat had soaked through his shirt, leaving him no protection from the cold. He should have grabbed a jacket.

Oh well.

Gene turned on his heel to go back through the doors but stopped himself. He was already outside, out of bed and wide awake. Besides, it was likely that Lin's _shiki_ had noticed his absence and were keeping tabs in him right now. Gene wouldn't have been surprised to see Lin himself stepping through the doors to watch him.

But the longer he stood there in the middle of the sidewalk the more he realized he should be _moving_.

So he waited another minute before turning heel and letting his heart lead the way.

It felt good just to walk; to have no other intention, no other purpose. There was nothing he had to do anymore. No more maps, no more ticking clock, no more fruitless searches for his brothers body. The weight of the world had finally lifted off his shoulders.

Sleepy shops lined the roads leading away from the hotel. He watched his reflection pass over the shiny trinkets and advertisements as he meandered past.

It took a few minutes for the familiarity to hit him, for the feeling that he'd seen these shops before brought him to a stop.

With stunned silence Gene realized he was in Shibuya. He knew the hotel had only really been a few blocks south of the office but Lin had always just driven them to work, walking never crossed his mind.

It was then that he realized where exactly he had stopped. With the dark café on the lower level, Gene stared up at the sleek flight of stairs leading to the second story.

He laughed. _Going into work on a Saturday? You would be proud, Noll_.

.~.

The office was just the same as they had left it almost a week ago; neat and organized and functional.

Gene traced his fingers over every surface he passed, gathering a thin layer of dust on his fingertips. An empty feeling had begun to well up him chest the closer he got to the office. He poked at the feeling, knowing he'd felt it sometime before but still wasn't sure what it was. Heartache and angst over his twin's death would have been normal to feel at a time like this, but instead he felt... yearning.

As he sank down into the plush chair behind his desk it dawned on him.

He really wanted to talk to Noll.

Despite how impossible it seemed, a part of Gene knew there had to be a way. Over the course of his search he'd tried séances and spiritual summoning's, but they always ended in failure. Even his own so-called 'perfect' medium abilities failed when it came to his brother.

What kind of medium couldn't see ghosts?

Gene stared blankly at the opposite wall attempting to quiet his thoughts. Unfortunately, it had been someone's great idea to hang a small, black framed mirror at eye level, having it just so that it reflected Gene's face back at him.

He scoffed at the dark circles under his eyes. Neither of the twins' found mirrors necessary often and actually hated seeing their own reflection. When asked, Noll would chide that in some cultures, mirrors are thought to be able to steal the souls of those who look into them.

Because mirrors weren't just mirrors. They were portals.

In the space of a heartbeat Gene had crossed the room and was pulling the small square frame from the wall. His private office was too small and too dark so Gene jogged to the greeting area.

Here the sunlight had already started to peek in over the top of the buildings, bathing the room in an orange-ish glow. Séances, more often than not, required calm, candle-lit settings. Gene cast a quick look around. They had no candles here in the office so the sunlight would have to do.

As for calm, well, he would have to do without it.

Gene held a death grip on the mirror, terrified that he might drop it. He kneeled down by the arm of one of the couches, ever so gently leaning the mirror against it before backing up a few paces. "Noll? Noll can you hear me?"

The silence was deafening. "Please, Noll. _Please_. Talk to me."

Again there was nothing. No stirring of the reflection, no cold breeze. Gene felt his heart sinking deeper into his chest. Never in his life had he ever hated himself so much. It made his blood boil.

"Dammit," he slammed his fists into his knees, on the edge of hysteria. "It should have been me!"

As if sharing in his anger the mirror shook violently, a large crack slithering down the center. Gene watched as the crack spider-webbed, barely registering the sting in his arms and face when the frame finally gave, spitting shards of glass everywhere. The windows were next. His mind had just enough time to order his arms to cover his face before the room rained glass.

He felt the sting, realized he must have been hurt or at the very least, _bleeding_, but he couldn't look away. In front of him was what was left of the mirror. It glittered in the rising sun, reflecting his broken face back at him. His eyes were wide and haunting, lips dry and cracking.

He blinked at himself.  
>Then the reflection <em>smiled.<em>

_You're an idiot._

Gene didn't know what to say. He just stared at the shard and the face in it as his brother's voice filtered through his thoughts.

_If you say that again I will find a way to slap you._

"I missed you," he croaked, his mouth had gone mysteriously dry.

Noll nodded but remained quiet.

All at once, everything Gene wanted to say fought for precedence. His thoughts raced, his tongue twisted itself around the one question that had burned on his lips for days. "Can I ever be myself again?" He didn't know why he had to ask, just knew he'd regret it if he didn't.

Though he expected silence. Suspected that no answer was better than any answer his brother could have thought to give him. Instead Noll shrugged, _I'm not sure there's a difference anymore._

Gene paused and then nodded, letting out a loud, haughty laugh. "That's what I was afraid of." And then he fell to the floor.

"Gene?"

His heart stuttered in his chest making the room spin even though he was well aware he was completely still. Time somehow seemed to be both present and non-existant. Like it existed only in the seconds he _wanted_ it to exist.

Somewhere in the background, a door creaked open but Gene couldn't find it in himself to care. Everything _hurt_.

"Oh my God," Luella's voice filtered through the silence like a gun-shot. He flinched and tried to cover his ears but every move was accompanied by searing pain. It felt like he'd been hit by a car. So he tried as hard as he could to ignore the unmistakable crunch of feet on glass.

"Gene..." Luella kneeled beside his crumpled form, careful to avoid cutting herself.

His vacant eyes flickered to life, blinking in confusion. Maybe he had imagined it, his name on her lips. He met her eyes, the blood on his face standing out in sharp contrast as she brushed his hair away. "I'm not-"

"You don't have to hide anymore, sweetheart." She smiled as best she could through the tears, "I know it's you."

His heart leapt in his chest. She knew. They knew. Tears made their way down his cheeks, running down over his ears.

Gene couldn't help it anymore. He pressed his hands to his eyes, ignoring the painful sting from the broken glass, and sobbed. For once he didn't care who heard him or what they thought of him. He bawled in his mother's lap, trying to voice the words he'd been afraid to say aloud. "I-It's all m-my fault!"

Luella held him closer, smoothing back his hair, "Shhh, it's okay."

He hiccupped, feeling very small and pathetic. "B-but- I should have - Should have stopped him-"

"Eugene."

He cringed at the sound of his name; it seemed like forever since he'd heard anyone say it. Luella took his silence as agreement and swept a hand over his cheeks, checking for damage. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," he croaked, swatting her hand away, "I'm fine-"

"Gene! Wake up!" A strangled voice hissed in his ear.

He jerked away from the noise, "What are you talking about - I am awake." But Luella's image had been replaced with that old cleaning lady he'd met on the elevator. "What the hell?"

The room tilted violently, morphing beneath his feet. His wooden desk appeared in front of him as bookcases sprouted from the sudden darkness. He was in his office. What was happening?

"Gene? Gene where's Oliver?"

"Mai?" Gene spun again, squinting against the sudden breech of sunlight. "How do you know about Noll?"

Vaguely aware that he was lying on his back, Gene fought to block out the light but his arms wouldn't move. Actually, he couldn't feel anything over the express feeling of being _wet_. The gasp stuck in his throat as his brother's expressionless face appeared from the glare. Noll smiled, the smallest twitch of his lips, as he searched his brother's face. But it wasn't out of happiness, he realized, it was relief. "I finally found you,"

As his hand reached out to smooth back the hair over his forehead, Gene recognized the gentle lapping of the lake shore at his ankles and the sound of Luella's quiet sobs just out of his line of vision.

He couldn't feel his body because he _was_ a body.

* * *

><p>Two-thirds of the way done! What do you think so far? I accidentally misplaced my writing notebook with this chapter in it so I apologize if it seems a bit lacking, I tried to rewrite it as best I could.<p>

Also, this story has nothing to do with my other ongoing fic Beyond Measure.

Still more to come!

ELV


	3. 三

**Wreckage**

Part 三

Gene gasped, startled awake by a familiar hand. He grabbed it, twisting it back until the assailant let out a cry of anguish. Unshed tears gathered in his eyes as he gazed at the figure over him. "_Noll_?"

Oliver pried his wrangled hand out of his brother's fist, smoothing the knuckles. "Who the hell else would be standing over you? Ow, that hurt, Gene."

Gene wanted desperately to reach out and touch his brother's face - to ask why he was alive - but instead he offered a quick, "Sorry," and tried to calm his heart before it beat right out of his chest.

Was it all a dream?

The bed was firm under his fingertips but everything before had felt so... Real. He could still feel every scrape; recall every conversation he'd ever had... Gene fisted the sheets, pushing back the memories before he brought on the ocean of grief he felt over his _very alive_ brother's death.

"What did you want, Noll?

His little brother arched an eye brow, "You. Your flight leaves in two hours, or did you forget?"

"Flight to where?" He asked, noticing for the first time the sun that lit the room and streaked over his bedspread. How long had he been sleeping exactly? He rubbed his eyes.

"Japan." Noll narrowed his eyes, leaning against the bed frame. "Are you okay? You were crying in your sleep."

Hastily wiping away any stray tears, Gene mumbled, "Nothing other than the fact that you remind my psyche of an old Japanese cleaning lady."

"What kind of dream were you having?"

Gene ignored him, instead pulling back the covers and rummaging for a pair of clean pants. He should really get around to cleaning his room some day. "What time is it?"

Noll didn't even need to glance at the digital clock sitting just beside him. "Ten 'til two."

The flight wasn't due to leave until half-past four. "Is Luella making breakfast?" Gene asked, giving up on the jeans and pulling on a pair of old pajama pants and loose t-shirt.

"More like lunch - aren't you going to get ready?"

"Why?" He brushed a rough hand through his hair, not in the mood to really care for it. Besides, the bedhead look worked for him.

Noll followed him to the backstair way, lowering his voice. "I just - thought maybe you'd change your mind?"

"About what- Oh." He recalled the conversation his brother had been pushing on him ever since Gene had convinced their adoptive parents to let him go to Japan. "I really don't think it's a good idea. Don't you have a lecture on Friday?"

"Gene, you can do the lecture. They'll never be able to tell the difference."

Gene remembered this part now. It hit him so hard he nearly stumbled down the last few steps. He remembered giving in to his brothers pleas and switching shirts, pretending to be the younger brother while the real one went on to Japan by himself.

And died there.

So it hadn't been a dream, Gene let out an almost giddy laugh when it finally dawned on him. It'd been a premonition; a warning, and if he didn't heed it, Noll was going to die for real.

"Gene?"

But where there is death, there will always be death. Who was to say that if he stopped either of them from leaving the country now that one of them wouldn't die on the train to work tomorrow? Or on their next case?

He wouldn't - couldn't - risk his brother's life like that.

_What about me?_

"No," he tried hard to swallow the lump in his throat as he watched his brothers face fall. "You do the lecture. There's really no reason why you should to be there, it's just a bunch of Shinto exorcisms. Nothing too exciting," he offered, "and it-it's only for a couple of weeks. I'll be back before you know it."

"That's not the point-" Noll's voice dropped off the second Luella entered the kitchen, offering them both eggs and hot tea.

_Sorry, bro._ He offered over the mental link, shrugging when Luella turned her back to him. Instead of responding, Noll slammed his mental block down and threw him an angry glare. Gene sighed. Would Noll really be okay without him? Despite the anxiety welling in his chest, he knew it wasn't death he was scared of.

It was the thought of Noll being alone that truly terrified him.

.~.

The goodbyes at the airport nearly left Gene in tears as his family took turns hugging him. Luella and Martin both had their own tears in their eyes as they embraced and told him to stay safe. Noll didn't say anything but gave a halfhearted grunt when Gene forced him into a hug and whispered, "I'll miss you,"

"You should go or you'll miss your flight, sweetheart."

"Right," he agreed, skirting toward the baggage area, "I'll call when I get there. See you in a few weeks."

The words felt flat on his tongue but he said them anyway. He knew it was both the first time he were to ever be apart from his brother and the probably last time they would ever be together.

As he watched them turn to leave through the security gate he felt his heart sink. "Good luck, Noll."

Did it have to end like this?

.~.

The breathe wheezed out of him, misting in the chilly evening. His legs were broken or maybe even completely severed, he couldn't tell.

Red taillights lit the scene and the blood that slipped down his chin. It highlighted every injury in such detail that it seemed there was no surviving this. But he could. If she'd just help him-

"Oh my God!" The woman shrieked, edging back toward the door. All Gene could see was her red heeled shoes as they disappeared back into the car.

The reverse lights would have blinded him if his consciousness hadn't already started to ebb. Was Noll with him now? He desperately hoped his twin wasn't watching, wasn't experiencing the fear that exploded through him as the Corvette rolled back toward him. But it was a pointless notion.

He knew everything about this moment; had known for weeks. And so he had resigned himself to the future, to his certain death by the hands of a total stranger and a fancy car. If Noll was with him now he only had one thing he wanted to say at the moment neither of them would ever forget.

_I'm sorry._

_._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><span>AN: I originally wanted to end here but I feel Gene is such a wildcard that an alternate ending was totally possible. So I'll be posting it together with this chapter. _Arigato gozaimasu! _Thank you to everyone who reviewed or followed or favorited this story! I've been brooding on it for months now and finally decided it needed it's day in the sun. Thank you all for sharing it with me.

That being said... what did you think? :)

Read, relax, review!

ELV


	4. 三(掛ける二) Alternative Ending

**Wreckage**

Part 三(掛ける二)  
>Part 3 (times 2)<p>

Alternative Ending

_._

_._

_._

It was the thought of Noll being alone that truly terrified him.

"Gene sweetheart what's wrong? You look pale." Luella set a cup of tea down in front of him, pressing a hand to his clammy forehead. "We can cancel your flight if you don't feel well."

He froze. Was this his way out? It suddenly felt like Fate was dangling his life right in front of his face, daring him to take it back.

But... could he risk it?

In his vision, Noll had been traveling alone. It was pretty much a guarantee that if Gene went to Japan by himself the trip would end exactly as he'd seen it, except this time that lake would be _his_ watery grave.

Did it have to end this way?

"No, it's not..."  
>What if it wasn't inevitable?<br>"...It's just..."  
>He didn't have to go alone.<br>"...I was wondering if Noll could come to Japan with me."

Across the table and oblivious to his twin's inner turmoil, Noll froze, still holding his fork halfway to his mouth. "You were?"

"I was." Gene looked to Luella who paused on her way to the medicine cabinet. Martin had somehow appeared by her side. They exchanged a look. "I-I don't know, Eugene."

"You know how we feel about Noll being away from BSPR."

"That's the thing," Gene continued, "I was hoping we could open an office there, in Shibuya."

The pseudo-father looked between his sons', wondering how exactly he'd missed the joke. "_Boy's_-"

"Martin, think about it. You've been talking about branching out to different countries for years now. Why not Japan?" He wasn't sure when, but Gene found himself standing. He spoke fast, afraid that if he didn't get it out now that he wouldn't get the chance. "Not to mention: _watashitachi wa Nihongo wo_ _hanashimasu._"

Martin looked bewildered, taken by the language barrier. "Knee-hone what?"

"We speak Japanese," Noll supplied, trying to feel useful. _Gene, why are you doing this?_

"I mean," it was Gene's turn to slam the door on their mental link as he leaned on the table in what he hoped was an intimidating pose, "you wouldn't have to hire translators or anything. Lin, Madoka, Noll and I already speak fluent Japanese."

Martin adjusted his jacket, eyebrows pulled into a hard expression the twins' couldn't read.

Gene thought his heart might explode.

No one else knew it, but the life of their eldest son hung on the edge of their father's decision. There was no way Gene could pull out of the trip after making such a scene about wanting to temporarily work there.

Luella eyed her sons with suspicion, "This is a big decision, boys. We need some time to talk-"

"No, they're right, Lu." Martin raised a hand to quell her protests, "but it will only temporary. I'll give you boy's six months to set up and prove to me that your office deserves to be a part of SPR. Until then, you will have to abide by our rules-"

Gene nearly collapsed to his knees. He didn't care what the rules were or how long they would really stay there, he had a chance now. A chance that neither his nor Noll's life would end on a dark, forgotten highway.

Together they would do as they've always done.

Survive.

_._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><span>AN: So, whether you read both endings or only one, what did you think?

A big part of me was actually thinking of writing a kinda-sorta full length sequel where I went back through all the cases of SPR with Gene alive (thanks to the alternative ending!). What do you guys think? Would you read it?

Of course it would be written in tandem with Beyond Measure, my other GH fanfiction.

Read, relax, review! None of this would be possible without you guys. All of you are so amazing it's beyond words. :)

_ELV_


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